Tales Of The Unexpected?.........

[vanessan]

It certainly blew a hoolie last night! We were moored in Langley Dyke, only 4 boats there. My husband took one of the dogs out around 9.30pm for his final wee walk and noticed one of Brooms stern on to the quay heading on the downstream moorings. The bow rope had come adrift. The boat was all in darkness so he knocked on the back but to no avail. He thought there was no one on board, so he clambered on to try and find another rope to attach. Eventually someone appeared inside, a bit panicked to find the boat boarded by a stranger. After a lot of faffing about in the strong wind, rain and darkness, the boat was finally made secure again. It turned out that the mooring post had actually snapped. 
Anybody starting their trip yesterday, and/or boating for the first time, must have had quite an introduction to the Broads!
Looks like we’re in for another day or so of this weather before it calms down and dries up a bit. ☔️

[BroadAmbition]

Well done husband 

Griff

[colino]

Good deed done. I`m back no boat Wednesday

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, colino said:

Good deed done. I`m back no boat Wednesday

Hopefully the weather will have quietened down a bit. 🙏

[grendel]

it was a tad windy today.

[vanessan]

27 minutes ago, grendel said:

it was a tad windy today.

Yup - just a tad!!

[coolcat]

 

Well done for saving the day.

Certainly has been a windy couple of days.....Such a change from Sunday !

Beginning to calm down a little now, hopefully a more peaceful nights sleep onboard tonight .

[vanessan]

Very high water at the moment. For the first time ever we got the steps out at Bramerton. (Might be something to do with age creeping up of course! ☹️)

[vanessan]

I’m hoping others will add to this thread. Anything goes!

Here’s a story I read a few years back, it may even have been on this forum. Two friends went for a week’s sailing. One was always up early and brewed the morning tea. His mate commented one day that the morning tea always had a funny taste to it, sort of musty and rubbery, whilst the afternoon tea was ok. Turns out the morning tea brewer was keen on saving water and emptied his hot water bottle into the kettle each morning! 

[vanessan]

Here’s a strange one. We were getting the boat ready for off this morning when a chap popped up and asked if we had a spanner he could borrow. The family were on a hire boat and the gas had run out on the canister in use. OH explained that it should just be a case of changing the fittings over to the new canister. He went to have a look for them and came back - for a spanner! The chap mentioned that the handover had been sadly lacking, gas hadn’t been mentioned at all and there were no instructions provided (or a spanner!) The boat was a fairly new 45footer (from up Thurne way 🤔) so it surprises me the handover hadn’t been better - or does it!

[vanessan]

As we left Fleet Dyke this morning we noticed a herd of cows wandering along the footpath, obviously found their way from the field behind. Nothing to stop them wandering as far as the moorings and beyond. So if you pull back your curtains and find some big brown eyes staring in at you, don’t be surprised! (I have advised BA in the hope they will know who to contact.)

[Mouldy]

2 hours ago, vanessan said:

 . . . . . . .The boat was a fairly new 45footer (from up Thurne way 🤔) so it surprises me the handover hadn’t been better - or does it!

Not really.  We were moored at Acle last night, on the new BA moorings.  We watched two boats from a certain yard based in Potter attempt to moor on the opposite side and both make a total hash of it. Both wound up with one of the crew stranded on the bank, with a stern rope trailing behind in the water as the helm cruised away to turn and try again.  It took the crews from two other craft to assist with one of them to get moored up.

I spoke to a very helpful ranger at Reedham this morning and he said that the handbook usually left in hireboats is not being left due to Covid.  Surely, it wouldn’t be impossible to leave photocopied details of mooring tips and other important issues on hirecraft for guidance, especially to novice, first time crews.

We left The Bridge Inn at about 20:45 and heard one boats engine running on the moorings on the Pedros side and the crew of the boat behind us, who were also in the pub, returned to their boat at 22:45 only to start their engine.  Both were from the same yard on the Thurne.  It does make me wonder if the crews are being told to run their engines to keep the batteries charged and help start the heating.

[CambridgeCabby]

Unfortunately the hire yards suggest running the engines for at least 4 hours a day , whether this is due to the abundance of electrical devices and inverters or due to lack of maintenance to the batteries I don’t know , but when we hired we used to cruise for a couple of hours a day as a norm and we never had flat batteries in the morning 

[Cheesey69]

Seen someone jump out with the rhond anchor and rope, hammer. 
proceed to hammer in anchor while letting go of rope. 
Turn to see anguished face of those left on board as boat drifts away

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

the handbook usually left in hireboats is not being left due to Covid.

That is crazy! The Skipper’s manual is a vital piece of equipment for a hire boat, especially for inexperienced crews who don’t know the bow from the stern or the area. I did read last year that much of it was online but I don’t think that’s sufficient by any stretch of the imagination. Starting an engine at 22.45 is unbelievably thoughtless. 

[grendel]

Marthams last year had 2 encapsulated manuals for each boat, when it came in the old manual was wiped over and put in the cupboard, and the new that had been sitting in the cupboard a week was put in its place, thus, helping keep them clean for the next hirers. it doesnt take a lot of forethought, they also have the manual linked on your booking page on the website.

[Mouldy]

1 hour ago, vanessan said:

 . . . . . . Starting an engine at 22.45 is unbelievably thoughtless. 

We were moored stern to stern, so got the full benefit of a throaty exhaust, too.  We weren’t impressed frankly, but if it was the only way to get their heating going, I get it.  However, if the batteries are past it, shame on the hire yard for poor maintenance.  Hirers should be entitled to be on a craft fit for purpose.

[Cheesey69]

NASA marine do a battery monitor that tells you how much power left in battery and how long battery bank will last.  
This would give a hirer some idea where they stand. 
Believe me, a lot of people base their knowledge of batteries on car batteries and have no idea that a modern deep cycle battery is a beast of a thing. 
plus they think this battery also starts the boat and they get paranoid about running out of juice. 

[twowrights]

We picked our boat up yesterday and had a comprehensive handover. I've been before, on a very similar boat, so was happy to leave without the trial run, but they asked several questions to make sure I'm competant. Unlike the oaf that passed us last night  just before Acle moorings, travelling well in excess of the speed limit, he cut right back in front then immediately  applied full reverse to nab a mooring he'd spotted! We were taken through the gas bottle procedures, and shown the Captain's handbook, which I've read, along with It Broadcaster and tides timetable. Well done R*******ons.  

[vanessan]

48 minutes ago, twowrights said:

We picked our boat up yesterday and had a comprehensive handover. I've been before, on a very similar boat, so was happy to leave without the trial run, but they asked several questions to make sure I'm competant. Unlike the oaf that passed us last night  just before Acle moorings, travelling well in excess of the speed limit, he cut right back in front then immediately  applied full reverse to nab a mooring he'd spotted! We were taken through the gas bottle procedures, and shown the Captain's handbook, which I've read, along with It Broadcaster and tides timetable. Well done R*******ons.  

What a difference to the crew we met yesterday and again today. As you say, well done - I think they should be named and congratulated - Richardson’s! 👍

 

[twowrights]

No problem, I was unsure of the etiquette for praising/ shaming on here. 

[CambridgeCabby]

Naming and shaming is against toc but where service is good and praiseworthy then praise away 

[andyg]

Don't gas bottle's automatically change over when one has run out ?? All the boats I've hired recently certainly have had this function fitted. Or was it a case of both bottle's being empty. I thought hire yards fitted this system to stop customer mucking about with the gas supply. 

[vanessan]

Whatever I read or hear, it seems that Richardson’s have got it right for their hirers. They deserve to be congratulated. 

[YnysMon]

That's the impression I get too. Even their older boats are very well turned out at the start of each season.